LIFE IS REBORN IN THE SIERRA DE LAS NIEVES

Fuerte Group Hotels has financed an interesting Spanish fir forest recovery project run by the “El Glaucal de la Nava” association

Thanks to this initiative, involving an investment of 2500 euros, one of the areas of the Sierra de las Nieves has been rehabilitated

The Spanish fir is one of the oldest species in the world and is currently at risk of extinction

30 April 2018. During the last Ice Age, the “Abies pinsapo Boiss” found refuge in forests in the south of Europe. However, the effects of climate change, forest fires, abandonment and lurking plagues and diseases mean that their situation is now at risk of extinction, and their presence is limited to just a few mountainous areas, such as the Sierra de las Nieves (Malaga), very close to Ronda and considered as one of the jewels in the crown of Andalusia’s forestry.

Here can be found grove of Spanish firs that require special care to ensure their evolution. Work like this is being promoted by associations such as “El Glaucal de la Nava” which, thanks to partnerships with companies like Fuerte Group Hotels has been able to do some important work.

Their most recent work was the rehabilitation of a plot of land located in the Las Navas Spanish fir grove, with a surface area of 0.63 hectares. Technicians from the aforementioned association worked to remove fallen wood and dead Spanish firs; to prune living trees to get rid of dead branches and prevent fires from spreading to the tree canopy; and to clean up the forest in general.

Spanish fir forest Sierra de las Nieves

In addition to recycling the forestry waste that was removed, which will be used for burning in fireplaces, and using the smallest items of waste to create soil by letting them decompose naturally, this forest work also had the following benefits:

Reducing the risk of fire by removing dead vegetation, which was a major fuel load for the forest.

Promoting biodiversity and accelerating the natural dynamics of the Spanish fir grove by encouraging the growth of other complementary species, such as holm oak and hawthorn which, along with the Spanish firs, have grown into the clearings left by cutting down dead trees. These new species act as a natural barrier against the fungus “Heterobasidion abietinum”, which severely affects Spanish fir by eating the roots of the trees, causing them to fall down.

Creating a protective blanket with the finely chipped remains of wood, which acts as a bed for new natural regeneration.

Increasing the capacity of the Spanish firs to absorb carbon dioxide.

Protecting the ecosystem by making it less vulnerable and increasing its ability to adapt to adversity.

The project has been designed and executed by Forest Engineers Clara V. Freiherr von Furstenberg García and Juan Francisco Ramírez Aragón, founders of the association “El Glaucal de la Nava”.

Caring for people and the environment

This project, which involved an investment of 2.500 euros by Fuerte Group Hotels, is one of many initiatives that the Andalusian hotel chain has carried out to give a boost to environmental friendliness, particularly in areas around places where its establishments are located – Fuerte Grazalema in this case. Thanks to actions like this one, the Marbella-based group is currently considered as one of the most sustainable and environmentally friendly hotel companies in Spain.